Tag Archives: BHS

Rudd’s posturing – no help at all

Posted on February 10, 2019 by

When BHS went belly up, this blog pointed the finger of blame at Philip Green for putting dividends before the pensions of the staff who earned him them. Green coughed up over £350m and the BHS pension scheme restructured into … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Don’t panic about Carillion’s pensions.

Posted on January 15, 2018 by

The fate of Carillion as a company is in the balance. Up to 20,000 jobs are at risk. Bond and equity holders are likely to lose substantial sums. Carillion driven projects are likely to suffer and 28,000 members of Carillion … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions, Pensions Regulator, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

A time of trust – not guarantees.

Posted on November 26, 2017 by

About the time that I was ranting to TISA about the complacency with which we are dismantling the retirement promises made to those who were promised a DB pension based on the years they worked with the company;- this happened! … Continue reading →

Posted in CDC, DWP, FSA, Music, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

We need to learn to love the PPF more

Posted on October 24, 2017 by

Hilary Salt asks “rather than designing new DB superfunds, wouldn’t it be better to grow to appreciate and improve our existing superfund?” It must be frustrating for the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) when the public perception is that to end … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The pension transfer debate can’t be left to experts!

Posted on May 28, 2017 by

I’m a big fan of outright hostility on social media, especially if it is directed at me. I don’t rate myself as anywhere near as good as Paul Lewis – who is the master at absorbing and developing such hostility … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

DB pension heading for the PPF? – Read this!

Posted on May 24, 2017 by

  Here are some things you didn’t know about the Pension Protection Fund (PPF). If you are in a pension scheme heading in that direction you should read this! While most people think it would be an unmitigated disaster to see … Continue reading →

Posted in de-risking, pensions, workplace pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

A business-friendly Pension Green Paper

Posted on February 22, 2017 by

I went to a  talk yesterday  from the CBI’s Carolyn Fairbairn. It was a lot more optimistic on business prospects than I’d expected (having heard her gnashing her teeth following the referendum). To be fair, she was saying then that … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Was BHS a blessing?

Posted on October 24, 2016 by

At a rowdy debate at yesterday’s Battle of Ideas, my colleague Hilary Salt stoked the fires by claimed the fall of BHS was a milestone to improving British productivity. Nobody expressed disagreement – despite it being packed with left-wing thinkers. … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Very “interest”-ing

Posted on August 16, 2016 by

For millions of savers, the most important piece of financial news over the past few weeks has not been about the impact of bond yields on pension liabilities or their mortgage interest payments or the state of the stock market. … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The weight of a nation v the next Philip Green

Posted on August 9, 2016 by

The DWP Select Committee, currently the only centre of pension’s expertise in the House of Commons, has called for written evidence on Defined benefit (DB) pensions regulation by the Pensions Regulator (TPR), including: the adequacy of regulatory powers, including anti-avoidance provisions … Continue reading →

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